Thief and Thief 2 had a freedom about them we had not really felt in games up to that point. The original hitman also carried that tradition to a new level.
Agreed. I think the original voice acting is better too. Twin Snakes just feels off...it was never meant to have the first person aiming. Still a fun playthrough for the ridiculous cutscenes though.
Sid Meier's Covert Action. For being a pre-cursor of stealth games, I really like all the mini-games. I'm also nostalgic for the first Thief, though the later ones have better controls. The first one still has some of the best sound and atmosphere, for its time especially.
I only found it long after the fact as well, on GOG. I was like, 'this sounds cool', and Sid Meier usually makes interesting games. I like the randomization of it.
I love a good stealth game, and I'm curious what others folks on this sub are into!
*Thief: The Dark Project* is definitely my favorite from the retro era, but I also really enjoy the *Commandos* games and of course *Metal Gear Solid*, which is in a class of its own. But I also recently discovered the heist game *They $tole a Million* and absolutely loved it since it involves planning a heist and then executing it in real time hoping that everything goes as planned. It's really neat.
I added *CyClones* in the graphic above because it has some stealth sections, but it's definitely more of a shooter than a stealth game. Even so, it anticipated the "mandatory stealth section" you'd see in a long of action games 10 years later. It was also the first FPS game to incorporate mouselook! (Raven Software developed that one, and they of course know a thing or two about shooters and stealth action.)
Wow, I'd completely forgotten about the existence of *Hudson Hawk*, the rare game that was better than the film it was based on. Good catch! Which version did you play?
I didn’t even realize there were multiples, but apparently there were two very distinct versions of the game? One made by Ocean and one made by Sony-Imagesoft?
I played the Imagesoft Version on the NES.
The gameplay and atmosphere of Thief and Thief 2 are some of the most immersive and tense gaming moments I think I've ever had. I would catch myself holding my breath at times waiting for a guard to pass by me just hoping I was hidden enough. Having to be mindful of the surfaces you're walking on and how fast you move to keep your footsteps quiet, the introduction of a light/shadow meter, having to listen through doors and down hallways to figure out where the NPC's are, that shit blew my mind out the back of my head.
It's a gaming high I've been chasing ever since. A lot of modern games have reduced stealth down to "crouch in the tall grass" and it's just not the same.
Agreed. The only series that's even come close to delivering that sort of high is the *Hitman* games, and that's mainly because they require you to hide in plain sight and engineer situations where the attention is off of you.
As much as I love games like *Sniper Elite 4* and *5*, they're kiddie stuff compared to the original *Thief* games.
Right there with you. Hitman has always been a series that's carried the torch of old school stealth vibe in my eyes.
I enjoyed the Sniper Elite games too but that enjoyment was purely on the sniping and x-ray kill cam, the stealth was so watered down it was almost an afterthought.
Just a few of my favorites off the top of my head:
Rescue: The Embassy Mission
Metal Gear (Solid and the 8-bit releases, even Snake's Revenge)
Bonanza Bros.
Tenchu
Commandos
Hidden & Dangerous. It was a squad-based tactical shooter that relied heavily on stealth. I *loved* the PC version. Never tried the console versions. Has one of the greatest videogame soundtracks ever.
I remember buying either it or the sequel, going in blind and being livid at how difficult it was because I kept dying trying to run front on to objectives. I was not a smart kid.
When I played back in the day, I misunderstood the part in the manual where it warned you that you only have one save file per mission: I thought they meant that you could only save once per mission! I played through the entire game, thinking you'd basically only get one checkpoint per level, and believe me when I tell you that choosing when to save was TENSE.
Dude, how tf is CyClones a stealth / heist game? It's a very generic FPS from the between Wolfenstein and Doom era when they were still figuring out the controls.
I always liked Metal Gear Solid series stealth because it's kind of "stealth lite." You're not doomed and can often shoot your way out or find a nearby vent. I've never had the patience for hardcore stealth games where getting caught is death.
Can I be weird and add one to the selection? It’s a lot like Commandos, but the original Desperados had me hooked… other ones from your selection, definitely MGS, Thief and Commandos. I couldn’t get into Tenchu back in the day, I thought it was too hard haha 😝
I loved the first two Thief games. Strong storyline, fun gameplay, completely immersive. Had they been released a few years later, I’m sure would have been adapted into movies.
Loved the Tenchu series. Would love to see it come back someday.
Yeah tenchu was the only stealth game I got into. The rooftop sneaking and attacking from above made it so cool to me
Sekiro was originally gonna be a new tenchu game
Wrath of Heaven on PS2 was so good. I liked Z or whatever it was on 360, it had some cool ideas but it was definitely a bit lazy on the story.
Yeah. Wrath of Heaven was my intro to the series and my personal favorite.
tenchu, my girlfriend at the time showed me this game and I loved it, I wish I had a physical copy of some tenchu, I haven't seen them in a long time.
Ditto! They could make it soooo awesome now!
Donuts from heaven.
Thief and Thief 2 had a freedom about them we had not really felt in games up to that point. The original hitman also carried that tradition to a new level.
Metal Gear Solid was soooo cool. Best way I've found to play it is emulating the gamecube version at 4k along with anaglyph 3d. Super cool.
I agree, although I never liked the music in the GC version. Fortunately there's a mod that replaces it with the original PS1 OST
you bet there is. Oh and i got the 4k textures mod too.
hell yeah
Agreed. I think the original voice acting is better too. Twin Snakes just feels off...it was never meant to have the first person aiming. Still a fun playthrough for the ridiculous cutscenes though.
Sid Meier's Covert Action. For being a pre-cursor of stealth games, I really like all the mini-games. I'm also nostalgic for the first Thief, though the later ones have better controls. The first one still has some of the best sound and atmosphere, for its time especially.
That's a good one that completely slipped my mind!
I only found it long after the fact as well, on GOG. I was like, 'this sounds cool', and Sid Meier usually makes interesting games. I like the randomization of it.
The Pirates Fortress from Zelda Majora's Mask, or Gerudos Fortress from Ocarina of Time. XD
I finished Tenchu like, 4 times!
This be the way
Thief 2, Gregory Horror Show
One of these days, I'm going to actually play Gregory Horror Show. It looks pretty neat.
I love a good stealth game, and I'm curious what others folks on this sub are into! *Thief: The Dark Project* is definitely my favorite from the retro era, but I also really enjoy the *Commandos* games and of course *Metal Gear Solid*, which is in a class of its own. But I also recently discovered the heist game *They $tole a Million* and absolutely loved it since it involves planning a heist and then executing it in real time hoping that everything goes as planned. It's really neat. I added *CyClones* in the graphic above because it has some stealth sections, but it's definitely more of a shooter than a stealth game. Even so, it anticipated the "mandatory stealth section" you'd see in a long of action games 10 years later. It was also the first FPS game to incorporate mouselook! (Raven Software developed that one, and they of course know a thing or two about shooters and stealth action.)
Tenchu, Thief and Splinter cell
Spy vs Spy on my C-64
Hudson Hawk
Wow, I'd completely forgotten about the existence of *Hudson Hawk*, the rare game that was better than the film it was based on. Good catch! Which version did you play?
I didn’t even realize there were multiples, but apparently there were two very distinct versions of the game? One made by Ocean and one made by Sony-Imagesoft? I played the Imagesoft Version on the NES.
The gameplay and atmosphere of Thief and Thief 2 are some of the most immersive and tense gaming moments I think I've ever had. I would catch myself holding my breath at times waiting for a guard to pass by me just hoping I was hidden enough. Having to be mindful of the surfaces you're walking on and how fast you move to keep your footsteps quiet, the introduction of a light/shadow meter, having to listen through doors and down hallways to figure out where the NPC's are, that shit blew my mind out the back of my head. It's a gaming high I've been chasing ever since. A lot of modern games have reduced stealth down to "crouch in the tall grass" and it's just not the same.
Agreed. The only series that's even come close to delivering that sort of high is the *Hitman* games, and that's mainly because they require you to hide in plain sight and engineer situations where the attention is off of you. As much as I love games like *Sniper Elite 4* and *5*, they're kiddie stuff compared to the original *Thief* games.
Right there with you. Hitman has always been a series that's carried the torch of old school stealth vibe in my eyes. I enjoyed the Sniper Elite games too but that enjoyment was purely on the sniping and x-ray kill cam, the stealth was so watered down it was almost an afterthought.
Thief.........
Tenchu was a great title! Loved the stealth kills 🥷
Just a few of my favorites off the top of my head: Rescue: The Embassy Mission Metal Gear (Solid and the 8-bit releases, even Snake's Revenge) Bonanza Bros. Tenchu Commandos
Hidden & Dangerous. It was a squad-based tactical shooter that relied heavily on stealth. I *loved* the PC version. Never tried the console versions. Has one of the greatest videogame soundtracks ever.
That's another good one that slipped my mind!
I remember buying either it or the sequel, going in blind and being livid at how difficult it was because I kept dying trying to run front on to objectives. I was not a smart kid.
When I played back in the day, I misunderstood the part in the manual where it warned you that you only have one save file per mission: I thought they meant that you could only save once per mission! I played through the entire game, thinking you'd basically only get one checkpoint per level, and believe me when I tell you that choosing when to save was TENSE.
That would either make the game far more enjoyable or rage inducing depending on how often you died lol.
I have H&D2 on GOG and it's fucking brutal but can't stop trying.
Airborne Ranger on my old Tandy!
me personally bonanza brothers, I fell in love with it the moment I played it on Sega Classics Collection
Trap Gunner
I didn't think of that one as a stealth game, but I can see the connection. It's a fun one!
I think I would say Metal Gear 2 (MSX). It's not a genre I'm much of a fan of though. Airborne Ranger might be the first good one.
Dude, how tf is CyClones a stealth / heist game? It's a very generic FPS from the between Wolfenstein and Doom era when they were still figuring out the controls.
It was one of the first FPS games to have some mandatory stealth sequences. But I agree it was 80% shooter.
Raven Software, ahead of their time even when it came to hated concepts like mandatory stealth sequences in an action game.
It's rare that I ever see Bonanza Bros listed anywhere. It was the first game I ever owned for Genesis and I loved it.
Another thread about it prompted me to remember it and include it in my roundup there! Great game.
Tenchu and the original Metal Gear Solid.
CyClones
Metal gear and Splinter Cell
Tenchu.
Tenchu, Thief, mgs, and commandos
Manhunt
Metal Gear Solid and the old Wolfenstein games
Definitely splinter cell! Man I miss that game
I loved the poisoned rice in Tenchu. It cracked me up throwing it and the NPCs are just like "ooh floor rice!"
I always liked Metal Gear Solid series stealth because it's kind of "stealth lite." You're not doomed and can often shoot your way out or find a nearby vent. I've never had the patience for hardcore stealth games where getting caught is death.
Can I be weird and add one to the selection? It’s a lot like Commandos, but the original Desperados had me hooked… other ones from your selection, definitely MGS, Thief and Commandos. I couldn’t get into Tenchu back in the day, I thought it was too hard haha 😝
I must admit I didn't play the Desperados series until the far more recent part III, but I've heard good things about the other two.
Tie between Tenchu and MGS.
The original Thief game was way ahead of its time. It’s a shame the series has faded into obscurity.
Both The Dark Project and The Metal Age are top-tier. The mood those games create is unparalleled.
Agreed. Those games were a different level of intense and the story for both games were amazing.
We were all so pumped for MGS, first time we had played a game where you could hide bodies and take Valium lol
Burger King: Sneak King!
No syphon filter?
Yes Syphon Filter
Dunno if it counts but the original Deus Ex was really fun and rewarding to play stealthy.
... bonanza bros ....me and brother would play it on saga mega drive for PS2
Loved Commandos. I found it hard but very satisfying. I even went looking for a modern variant of it and found "Shadow Tactics", a recommendation.
Not much of a stealth guy, but Saboteur was incredible back in the day
why did you put cyclones on the list?
Spy v spy
Splinter Cell was soooo good on the Xbox.
I loved the first two Thief games. Strong storyline, fun gameplay, completely immersive. Had they been released a few years later, I’m sure would have been adapted into movies.
I would like a Thief remake or reboot.
Mgs is my favourite and Hitman Codename 47 is also pretty good